Zoom link = https://wwu.zoom.us/j/62084376529?pwd=ajZnNndIdGdpNWVleFVsdk9ibFRuZz09 Meeting ID: 620 8437 6529, Passcode: 831811 Abstract: The simplest and most generic kind of isolated singularity of a complex variety is the "Morse" or "Lefschetz" or "ordinary double point" singularity, i.e., the affine cone over a smooth projective quadric. These singularities play a distinguished role in geometry and topology, particularly in complex dimension 2. I will explain why ordinary double points are interesting from the point of view of Riemannian geometry. I will also explain some recent work exploring the geometry of triple points/cubic cones.